That Old Dead Magic

That Old Dead Magic (#12 in the Rat Pack Mystery Series) by Robert J. Randisi    360 pages

I look forward to the release of each new Rat Pack Mystery Series. It’s a lot of fun to journey back to the 1960s when Las Vegas was not a place for the kiddos and all the lights hid more than they showed.

Frank, Dean, Sammy, Joe and Peter had lit up the Strip when their Summit came to town to appear at the Sands Hotel.  The crowds loved and adored the guys’ act. But now it is 1965, and the Summit is losing its audience. The guys, and the Sands’ management, believe that people are getting tired of the same old act. Frank and Dean are even performing at other hotels.

But the Sands pit boss, Eddie G is still the man to know; the man who can get things done.  So when Sammy Davis, Jr., asks for help because he thinks legendary comic Jerry Lewis is going to kill somebody, Eddie G comes to the rescue.  Eddie G never cared much for Jerry’s comedy; he didn’t get it, but when one of the guys asks, he does what he can to help.

Jerry isn’t the loveable goofball he comes across as on stage. He’s a very, very serious fellow who scowls more than he smiles. And his temper is almost as legendary as his comic ability.

While Jerry stews at the Sands about blackmail and kidnapping, Eddie G is also helping out his PI buddy, Danny Bardini, who is working on a sex-trafficking case. He even agrees to let Danny use one of the Sands waitresses as bait.

To round the picture out, a Rat Pack Mystery wouldn’t be complete without Big Jerry Epstein, a Brooklyn-man with an appetite as big as his body. Jerry E will do whatever it takes to protect Mr. G, Danny, and the guys.

As Randisi writes more and more of these mysteries, the guys seem to drift further and further into the background.  Still, the stories are a lot of fun: the heyday of the Strip, the mob, the girls, the money, and the booze light up the casinos as they don’t seem to be able to do these days. As the bodies piled up, I sank further and further into 1965 until I did not want to come back to 2020.

It may not be high literature, but it is high stakes fun. “That Old Dead Magic” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Complete Poems

 The Complete Poems by Guido Cavalcanti, translated by Marc Cirigliano, 69 pages

Guido Cavalcanti attained immortality not through his own work, but as a friend of Dante, who finds him in the Inferno among the gluttons.  Cavalcanti, however, has also earned his own small group of discerning admirers.

     you see me - one who goes crying

     an example to all of Love's judgment

     and i don't find a pitying heart

     sigh even once looking at me

It is notoriously difficult to transfer the rhythm and rhyme of Romance languages into Germanic languages such as English - still, there must be a superior approach to this translation of the Sweet New Style into stale modernism.

     look at him and see his heart

     carried by Death's hand - carved into a cross.

Orkneyinga Saga

 Orkneyinga Saga: The History of the Earls of Orkney, translated by Hermann Palsson and Paul Edwards, 224 pages

The Orkneyinga Saga is a prose history of the jarls who ruled Orkney between the ninth and the thirteenth centuries.  It was probably written in Iceland in the 13th century, but is largely based on older, poetic accounts of the doings of the notable men and women of the islands.  In many places the anonymous compiler incorporates bits of these into his history.

     Ships grappled

     together; gore, as foes fell,

     bathed stiff iron, black

     with Scots' blood;

     singing the bows spilt

     blood, steel bit; bright

     though the quick points quaked,

     no quenching Thorfinn.

This is all the more effective given the highly repetitive narrative, a seemingly unending series of feuds, with aggrieved parties seeking aid from Scotland and Norway, normally ending in bloodshed but occasionally in reconciliation, the bloodshed often leading to more bloodshed and the reconciliations also often leading to more bloodshed.  That is not to say that there is nothing of interest - to the contrary, there's the story of how Rognvald, hiding from his enemies, was betrayed by his own lapdog, and of the time Svein three times politely asked Arni to settle a debt before driving an ax into his skull, and of Uni's cleverness in sabotaging his enemies' watchfires, among many other memorable incidents.  It is the poetry, though, that truly enchants.

     I fear my fate

     turns my face from Ermingerd;

     many a man

     would match her if he might.

     Her brow's such a beauty -

     I'd bed her gladly, even

     once would be worth it,

     a wish come true.

Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War

Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War

 Hymns of the Republic: The Story of the Final Year of the American Civil War by S.C. Gwynne, 

395 pages

The fourth and final year of the American Civil War is covered here by an excellent writer, who kept the pages turning with well-conceived chapters and intriguing descriptions of the people and times. I enjoy Civil War history, but I often find books detailing every moment and movement of battles tedious and dense. This one told the story of the battles the way I like to read them: who planned their strategy well, who didn't, who won, who lost. 

But what I really appreciated about this book was that its focus was not entirely on the battles: I learned more about Clara Barton, the "Angel of the Battlefield" in this book than I have anywhere else. And I'd never heard of African-American Civil War correspondent Thomas Morris Chester, whose newspaper reporting covered the stories in ways his colleagues never could, until I read this book. Likewise, reading about the importance of the 1864 election was timely to current events, and it was interesting to learn that even Abraham Lincoln felt his chances for a loss were high and that his own party was in the process of disassociating themselves with him.

The book did cover the important people and dates, but in a way that was accessible and readable. Each person was well-described so that they were distinguishable from others, and the impact of decisions and the heartbreaking aftermath of battles, while not enjoyable to read, was well-written. The author was good at debunking myths while still telling stories I hadn't read before. I would recommend this for anyone interested in the Civil War and American history.

The Mayor of Zalamea

 The Mayor of Zalamea by Pedro Calderon de la Barca, translated by William E Colford, 128 pages

A departure for Calderon, but also one of his most popular plays, The Mayor of Zalamea tells the ostensibly true story of a proud peasant whose beautiful daughter became the object of a noble-born officer's lusts.  Caught between his offended sense of honor and the plain letter of the law, the virtuous Pedro Crespo takes a stand for justice in defiance of the entire Spanish army.

Unusually for Calderon, this is a historical piece; even more unusually, it features a protagonist from the lower classes.  For that very reason, the language lacks the grandiosity typical of Calderon, and this may help explain its continued popularity in an era that celebrates mediocritas.  Crucially, however, the play does not resolve with an assertion of equality on the basis of individual autonomy, but with a recognition of equal participation within a larger whole.

With Fire and Sword

 With Fire and Sword by Henryk Sienkiewicz, translated by WS Kuniczak, 1135 pages

With Fire and Sword, the first book in Sienkiewicz's great historical trilogy, follows the trials and travails of the noble Polish officer Yan Skshetuski, who falls in love with the angelic Helen just before a Cossack revolt plunges the Ukraine into chaos.  The two lovers are aided in their quest to survive and reunite by the clever Zagloba, the puissant Michal, and the giant Longinus, as well as by Yan's cunning squire Zjendjan, even as the storms of war and political intrigue rage around the person of Prince Yeremi, the only man who can save the Commonwealth.

With Fire and Sword offers sweeping, epic romance and adventure.  Unfortunately, it is somewhat unsatisfying.  Unlike in The Deluge, where the central conflict takes place within the main character's heart, the threats here are entirely external.  Even then, the villains, the magnificent rebel chief Hmyelnitzki and the virtuous barbarian Bohun, while they are both complex, interesting characters, recede into the background well before the final act.  Indeed, the ostensible protagonist Skshetuski himself disappears for long stretches in the middle of the novel, eclipsed by the duo of Zagloba and Michal, who would go on to play significant roles in The Deluge before getting their own novel in Fire in the Steppe.  While excellent on its own terms, With Fire and Sword ultimately lacks the apocalyptic, eucatastrophic genius of The Deluge.

The Lioness and Her Knight

The Lioness and Her Knight

The Lioness and Her Knight by Gerald Morris; 343 pages

Ah! These books are so good and it's so much fun to re-read this series. I've always called them the "Terence and Gawain Books" in my mind, but the series is actually called "The Squire's Tales" and this is Book 7. The first few books in the series heavily feature Terence, squire to Gawain, and his adventures questing with Gawain, who comes to be known as the Maiden's Knight. All of the books are retellings of the King Arthur tales. The author, Gerald Morris, is an excellent scholar of these tales and at the end of each book he discusses the original tale or inspiration that he has rewritten and what he changed in his version. Most of the characters are based on people described in the original tales, but Terence is Morris' own invention. All of the tales feature memorable characters and the plot generally involves the growth of the characters as their personalities evolve and change over the course of the book as they learn lessons from their adventures. And there are so many funny lines, likeable characters, unlikeable villains, tender love stories, and epic battles. And magic and sorceresses and a lot of fun!

In "The Lioness and Her Knight" Luneta travels to Camelot with her cousin Ywain and a court jester, or fool, named Rhience. She's been fighting with her mother quite a bit recently, like any teenager, and jumps at the chance to leave home. Camelot is just a stop (her uncle is Gawain, The Maiden's Knight and she is introduced to Terence and even the intimidating Morgan Le Fay, among other well-known Camelot characters) as Luneta's true destination is the castle of her mother's friend Lady Laudine. On the way to meet Laudine, Ywain hopes to earn a reputation as an excellent knight and ends up involving Luneta and Rhience in adventures they weren't expecting, while Luneta, upon meeting Laudine, can't help but interfere to help Laudine grow a backbone and ends up an apprentice to none other than Morgan Le Fay. And that's just the beginning of all the adventures! I haven't even mentioned the Lioness! Or the Storm Stone! 

This book is an excellent part of the series and I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. It was long enough ago that I read this series for the first that I'm rediscovering them again and enjoying every minute. Boys or girls will love these stories and Morris features a lot of great female characters in all of his books. These books are written for a middle-grade audience and Morris also writes a series of King Arthur tales for elementary readers called The Knights' Tales. I can't recommend his writing enough.

Before Church and State

 Before Church and State: A Study of Social Order in the Sacramental Kingdom of St Louis IX by Andrew Willard Jones, 454 pages

Post-enlightenment, the establishment narrative regards the thirteenth century as a chrysalis for the sovereign, secular state, when the irrational, theocratic pretensions of the papacy began to be overcome by the increasingly independent monarchs of the nations of Europe including, crucially, the pious, even saintly Louis IX of France.  As Andrew Jones convincingly demonstrates, however, this is a deformation of the actual history of the period, the product of the anachronistic imposition of modern concepts on medieval society.  For medieval Catholics, the natural state of man was not, as it would be for the "enlightened", a state of war against which the secular State must force a truce.  To the contrary, the natural state of man is peace, a peace broken by sin, but which grace restores and maintains.  It is the role of the secular as of the ecclesiastical authority to be a conduit for that grace, and they are partners rather than competitors.

Jones builds his remarkable book around the person of Gui Foucois, who served as an official in both the French church and state before becoming Pope Clement IV, but it is precisely Jones' point that Foucois saw his public service as a unified whole, not as divided into "religious" and "secular" but as part of the single "business of the peace and the faith".  It followed, then, that outlaws and heretics were equally "breakers of the peace", rebels against a sacramental order whose harmony was predicated upon difference rather than equality, being itself an expression of a Trinitarian rather than a Deist theology.

SLPL Team Totals for September, 2020

 Welcome to a new Challenge year!  We have started off with a bang this month ---

6 people

read 33 books

for a total of 11,394 pages

And a hearty welcome to Kathy CB, who joined our team this month!  Shirley J. was our Super Reader, logging 16 books and a hefty total of 5303 pages!!!

Onwards to October!

Dead to Her

 Dead to Her by Sarah Pinborough  388 pages

"Being the second wife can be murder . . ."

Marcie Maddox has worked hard to get where she is, considering the illicit affair that started her new life as a second wife a few years ago. However, maintaining herself and her life isn't easy, no matter how hard she tries. And it's also not easy to keep her husband, Jason, interested in her. When Jason's boss brings home a beautiful new wife named Keisha from his trip to London, Marcie quickly learns that Jason definitely isn't that interested in her. Determined to make sure Keisha can't replace her as Jason's wife, Marcie sets out to undermine Keisha. However, there's more to Keisha than meets the eye.

As it turns out, there's also more to Marcie than you expect. This is a story that follows the "revenge is a dish best served cold" and as you might expect, Marcie and Keisha form an alliance. However, what happens next came as a surprise to me, which made the story more interesting than I had first expected. Not the best book in the world, but an entertaining read.

Recipe for A Perfect Wife

 Recipe for A Perfect Wife: A Novel by Karma Brown, Karma   322 pages

In the present, Alice finds inspiration found in hidden notes left by her home's previous owner, Nellie. In the past, Nellie seemed to be the perfect 1950s housewife. However, things aren't as idyllic as they appear and Nellie's life begins to unravel. However, cooking keeps her life running smoothly (or as smoothly as possible) and in the present, Alice is discovering these recipes and trying them on her own husband. However, as Alice begins to discover, while Nellie's recipes seem benign, Nellie's secrets were anything but.

I liked this story and enjoyed the dual perspectives. I liked how there was the 1950s perspective and the recipes (which sounded a lot like some I've seen in old church cookbooks). I liked Nellie more than Alice, and found at times that Alice had an unpleasant edge to her. But, the back-and-forth was interesting and ending had a twist I hadn't fully anticipated.

Cats for Dummies

Cats for Dummies by Gina Spadafori,  Lauren Demos and Paul D. Dion   400 pages

This book is filled with so much good information on cats, how to care for them, how to interpret their behavior, signs to look out for to keep them well and help them when you see these signs because they show that your cat needs help health-wise.   They teach you about a cat's body language,  they teach you what your cat needs to be fed - please be sure you are giving your cat wet food as well as kibble - it helps to keep them hydrated when they aren't drinking enough water.   The authors being veteranarians themselves and specialists in their fields and each is known for a major research finding that has changed how the industry of pet food and pet care does things.   It is a handy reference book for all things cat and includes at the end several cat-friendly charities that could use help to keep their doors open, be it through donations of money or volunteering your time or donating supplies.    I wish I had this when one of my cats gave birth, had I known then what I learned from this book, I could have been more helpful at that crucial time.   The book tells the pros and cons of cat ownership and the differences  between owning a cat or a kitten, and why animals should be spayed or neutered.   It discusses domesticated, feral and fereal colonies, the many breeds of cats that have been introduced over the years and what genetic tampering with breeds creates healthwise  (Persians have flat faces and this trait causes them not to live as long as some breeds due to breathing problems caused by the flat facial features similar to bulldogs and hence their short lifespan, too.   Fascinating book for all cat lovers, cat owners and anyone considering working for a shelter.   Also good for kids to read so they know how best to care for the new pet they want to bring home.   Great book.   I highly recommend it to middle-schoolers on up.

 - Shirley J.

Pretty Bitches On Being Called Crazy, Angry, Bossy, Frumpy, Feisty, and All the Other Words That Are Used to Undermine Women

 Pretty Bitches: On Being Called Crazy, Angry, Bossy, Frumpy, Feisty, and All the Other Words That Are Used to Undermine Women    284 pages

"Words matter. They wound, they inflate, they define, they demean. They have nuance and power. "Effortless," "Sassy," "Ambitious," "Aggressive": What subtle digs and sneaky implications are conveyed when women are described with words like these? Words are made into weapons, warnings, praise, and blame, bearing an outsized influence on women's lives -- to say nothing of our moods.

No one knows this better than Lizzie Skurnick, writer of the New York Times' column "That Should be A Word" and a veritable queen of cultural coinage. And in Pretty Bitches, Skurnick has rounded up a group of powerhouse women writers to take on the hidden meanings of these words, and how they can limit our worlds -- or liberate them.

From Laura Lipmann and Meg Wolizer to Jennifer Weiner and Rebecca Traister, each writer uses her word as a vehicle for memoir, cultural commentary, critique, or all three. Spanning the street, the bedroom, the voting booth, and the workplace, these simple words have huge stories behind them -- stories it's time to examine, re-imagine, and change. "

Copying and pasting the Goodreads description was the easiest way to give the summary of this book, especially since it's essays written by so many people. I found most of the essays to be thought-provoking, especially since language is something I've considered for a long time. And especially as it is used to describe women. Definitely an interesting read and something I'd recommend for anyone interested in linguistics and/or women's studies. 

The Art of Baking Blind

 The Art of Baking Blind by Sarah Vaughan   406 pages

In 1966, Kathleen Eaden was the wife of a supermarket magnate and writer of a bestselling cookbook, The Art of Baking. This book was the cornerstone for many home bakers and now in current day Britain, five amateur bakers are competing to become the "New Mrs. Eaden" for the supermarket chain. As these contestants get to know each other, they also find that their secrets rise to the surface, making this more than a baking challenge.  Like Mrs. Eaden before them, they will learn that while perfection is sometimes possible in the kitchen, it's much harder in life.

I liked this book because there were multiple perspectives. You get the original Kathleen Eaden and you get several of the baking contestants, so the stories go back and forth until they converge. As a fan of The Great British Baking Show, I got a real kick out of this book and it was easy for me to imagine all of the different characters. There is a bittersweet tinge to Kathleen Eaden's storylines and some of the contestants also have less than happy lives. So, easy to get caught up in their stories along with the contest. Not an outstanding read, but a nice way to spend some time reading on a Sunday afternoon.

The Book of Eating

 The Book of Eating: Adventures in Professional Gluttony by Adam Platt  258 pages

Food critic Platt was the son of a diplomat and grew up in places like Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Because of this, he never had the chance to become a picky eater and instead, grew up relishing all kinds of interesting and exotic foods and developed an eclectic palate. Platt takes the reader around the world, retracing his steps in his lifelong culinary education.

I had expected a bit more about his life as a food critic, and at times felt this book lagged a bit. But it was still interesting to read about his childhood and eating adventures, as well as his first encounters as a food critic. I knew who Platt was before I read this and had read some of his reviews, but I really didn't know anything about his background. Interesting read, but won't be worth a re-read.

How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings

 How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men's Feelings by Sarah Cooper  209 pages

"Ambitious women are so scary. In this fast-paced business world, female leaders need to make sure they’re not perceived as pushy, aggressive, or competent. In How to Be Successful Without Hurting Men’s Feelings, Sarah Cooper, author of the bestselling 100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings, illustrates how women can achieve their dreams, succeed in their careers, and become leaders, without harming the fragile male ego.

Chapters include, among others, “9 Non-threatening Leadership Strategies for Women,” "How to Ace Your Job Interview Without Over-acing It," and “Choose Your Own Adventure: Do You Want to Be Likable or Successful?” It even includes several pages to doodle on while men finish what they're saying. Each chapter also features an exercise with a set of "inaction items" designed to challenge women to be less challenging."

Obviously, this is a humor book -- this isn't real advice. Or is it? The not-quite-funny thing is that there are things in this book that I think a lot of women identify with. Like suggesting something in a meeting which gets ignored . . . until the guy next to you suggests the same thing and gets all the credit. Or being called "emotional," and a number of other adjectives that are positive until they're applied to describe a woman in the working environment.  I admit I snickered at several of the chapters and appreciated Cooper's snarky take on women and work.

If It Bleeds

 If It Bleeds by Stephen King   436 pages

This is a collection of four long stories, including a stand-alone sequel to The Outsider (which I did read, but remembered almost nothing about). I found the collection to be really good, even without remembering The Outside. Mr. Harrigan's Phone is a bittersweet story that has some disturbing elements to it, but it's more an exploration of a younger self. The Life of Chuck was hard to follow at first, and then I got caught up in the story.  Rat was truly the strangest one -- -I kept expecting something worse to happen, so it kept me on edge.

I enjoy King's later works and find that with each new book, I continue to like his stories. While I read Christine as a kid and some of his other early books, I've never wanted to re-read them, unlike his somewhat more recent work.  Count this one in with the good ones.

The Perfect Wife

 The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney   412 pages

Love is eternal . . . especially if there's AI.

Abbie wakes up with no memory of who she is and can't figure out why she feels so strange. The man in the room with her claims to be her husband. A titan of the tech industry and the founder of an innovative start-up, he tells Abbie she is a gifted artist, mother to their young son and his perfect wife. And that five years ago, she had a terrible accident. Now, with an amazing technological breakthrough, she's back.  Or is she?

What she is is a miracle of science, an amalgamation of brain waves and memories in a synthetic body. Horrified at first, Abbie is then curious to learn more about her accident, and then why she can't access any of those memories. As the story continues, and we get her perspective and the perspective of an unknown character, it becomes clear that her husband isn't telling her everything. Definitely not the whole truth. And just who is it that keeps contacting Abbie and telling her not to trust him?

I found this book to be a slow starter and almost put it down and then it was like something clicked, because I started reading it quickly to see what was going to happen next. Having the different points of view, especially from an outside person, as the story becomes revealed layer by layer made for an intriguing story and it was difficult to predict what would happen next.  

Calypso

Calypso by David Sedaris   272 pages

I love David Sedaris' books.  I find his last book and this one a little darker than his prior ones, though still absolutely hilarious.   The man can find the funny in anything.  In this one, he talks about his and his boyfriend, Hugh's house in Sussex, the beach house he bought for the family to share on the North Carolina coast, his sister Tiffany's suicide and how his sister Amy had a session with a psychic who channeled their mother and their sister Tiffany and the strangely spot on information she gleaned.    There are loads more topics Sedaris shares his ingenuos wit and humor on,  how his boyfriend's mother contradicts everything he says, "Oh that didn't happen!" and funny phrases heard when the family is together that they adopt as their own and use every chance they get in conversations with one another.   Such funny stuff I want him to continue sharing his views with the world because I love his stories so much.   I would recommnend this and every book by David Sedaris to middle-schoolers on up.   Some things are a little abover their grade level, but, so funny they might as well learn.    10 Stars in the reading galaxy.

Lucky Day

Lucky Day by Mary Higgins Clark   68 pages

I've always thought that the worst thing you could do if you won the lottery was to let anyone know before you turned the ticket in to get your winnings.   This short story by Mary Higgins Clark just spells that out.   The guy who won is so excited that he won he is telling everybody about it.  It's his lucky day!   Not so much.   Yes,  A quick read,  I would recommend this as a cautionary tale to everyone.   Don't tell everything you know.  It is a case of counting your chickens before they hatch.   Turn in the ticket, get your money, then move, leave no forwarding address, change all your phone numbers and become a ghost otherwise you will have folks climbing out of the woodwork to take what you have.  I know its a joyful moment and the childlike enthusiasm that bubbles to the surface just wants to share such happy news with every person you meet, but, word of warning - everyone is not your friend - not everyone cares how long and hard you have struggled to finally become a "winner,"  and they will steal everything including your joy from you and walk away with your joy in their pocket and think nothing of it.   Think smooth jazz - quiet joy so you reap the benefit not some undeserving meanie.

 - Shirley J.

The Cradle Will Fall

 The Cradle Will Fall by Mary Higgins Clark    336 pages

Start out with a cheating husband and his pregnant wife who turns up dead from a cyanide poisoning, or did she?   Did her cheating husband do it?    Then at the autopsy another clue comes in to play, wait did the husband do it or were both the husband and the wife cheating ?   What????   A head scratcher, sometimes just disgustingly gross when you think about it.  Where does this gal come up with this stuff?   Did she set up the premise for the film, "Centipede?"  Oooh!  The writing is good, the premise is gross.   Not a book I want to long think about but if you like murder mysteries with twiests you will like this one.

 - Shirley J.

Loves Music, Loves to Dance

Loves Music, Loves to Dance by Mary Higgins Clark    336 pages

Just another reason not to go out with every one you meet online.   YIKES!!!    As a favor to her friend,Darcy, who works for a tv talk show, Erin agrees to go on a bunch of blind dates with guys met online and what a mixed bag she gets.   Not to mention one fellow she met in person.   You won't know till the end which one is the murderer.   Is it the freaky guy with a sister fetish?  Is it the angry guy you just know deep down hates women and wants them to pay for something he is still carrying around.    There are sooooo many choices, it could be any one of them or could it possibly be someone random?   Then there is the dancing shoe clue.    Ladies be careful what you wish for a sensitive guy who loves to dance may be better left alone!      A good dose of creepiness and a lesson in being vigilent before putting yourself out there.   I would recommend this one to middle-schoolers on up.   Learn the lesson early, ladies!

 - Shirley J.

Where Are the Children?

 Where Are the Children?  by Mary Higgins Clark   223 pages

While living in California a woman's two kids go missing.   She is later brought up on charges of murdering them and serves time in the penitentiary for it.   When let out on a technicality she decides to run away from all the sorrow her life in Cally brought her and goes completely across country to start a new life in Cape Cod.   Some years pass and she meets a new man, falls in love, marries and eventually has two more kids.   Life is good no one including new hubby knows about her dark past and the murders but on the anniversary of the deaths of her first two children an article appears in the local newspaper about her case complete with her picture while the same day finds her present two kids missing!     Is she mental?   Is she a serial child killer or a victim of circumstance?   What the heck is going on?   The law and the town are closing in on her, she is freaking out!   Where are the children?????   A nail biter - this one.   I would recommend this book to middle-schoolers on up.   Learn to keep an eye on your little ones at all times - you never know what is in the mind of a person.

 - Shirley J.

All Around the Town by Mary Higgins Clark

 All Around the Town by Mary Higgins Clark   341 pages

Whew!  If you are going to commit a crime it is helpful to have a sister who is a lawyer.  Well, even if you aren't going to commit a crime having a sister who is a lawyer would still be a good thing - you never know when you will need legal assistance.   And when you were abducted as a child, have multiple

personalities that enabled you to cope with the memories of the horrendous experience and in your 20s go all obsessive over your very married college English profesor so much to the point one of your personalities is writing him extreme love letters, oh yeah, and he turns up dead - then you are really going to need that sister who just happens to be a lawyer.   Another good plot line.   I would recommend this book to middle-schoolers on up.   Learn early to be mindful of strangers - STRANGER DANGER!!!    And this one takes a lot of twists and turns too.   Lots of baddies to choose from and that old adage about a woman scorned?  Yeah.  .

 - Shirley J.

Dawn of Infamy: A Sunken Ship, A Vanished Crew and the FInal Mystery of Pearl Harbor

Dawn of Infamy: A Sunken Ship, A Vanished Crew and the Final Mystery of Pearl Harbor by

Stephen Harding    280 pages

The day that will live in infamy, December 7, 1941 as FDR said, holds  horrendous memories for  military personnel, their families and also Americans everywhere.   The surprise attack on Pearl Harbor that Sunday morning by Japanese pilots led to the United States entering WWII.   But just prior to that attack from above, an American cargo ship was attacked by Japanese submarine I-26.   Had there been clearer lines of communication the radio disc jockey from San Francisco who heard the cargo ship, "Cynthia Olson's" S.O.S. might have been able to change the course of the war, but, sadly by the time he got the message to the appropriate people,  Pearl Harbor was in flames.    The Japanese commander and his crew of I-26 were celebrating their victory in sinking the first American ship that would start the war with the UlS.    The cargo ship was hauling a shipful of lumber to Hawaii and was half-way between Seattle and Honolulu when it was struck.   They had no idea why an American vessel would be fired upon other than ,maybe the Germans didn't realize they were American (and therefore neutral to the war at that time).   They immediately hoisted the American flag only to be continually fired upon.    The lumber buoyed the cargo ship so it did not sink immediately.   The Japanese crew went to breakfast to celebrate their good luck thinking the ship would be on the bottom of the ocean when they were done.   When they returned and checked they were astonished the ship was still afloat (not knowing the cargo inside it).   They then fired two torpedos.  The first torpedo causing the ship to list the second taking it down in a fiery death.    The Japanese commander had jumped the gun a bit because they were told not to engage in fighting until after the bombers had hit Pearl Harbor.   The Japanese Emperor wanted it to be a total surprise attack and didn't want the Americans to go on alert ahead of their attack.   Documents were fudged to put the time as happening just after the Pearl Harbor ambush so the original shooter did not go down in historical documentation as being the shot that began the war with the U.S.    THe Japanese claimed to have assumed the Americans had time to get in their life boats and get away.   They did not claim to have captured anyone alive and taken them prisoner.   They did not claim they shot all survivors found as was done thereafter.   But, no survivors in lifeboats nor bodies were found floating amid the flotsom when retrieval efforts were executed.   None of the American civilian crew working with the military to deliver the lumber to the base were ever heard from again after the initial SOS.    Harding tells what he has found out about the event.    A WWII mystery finally getting some light shed on it.   Good book.   WWII buffs will really enjoy it.   It makes me wish I had talked to my Dad more about his time in the Aleutian Islands.   Good book.  I highly recommend it.   .  

  - Shirley J.

Most Wanted

Most Wanted by Lisa Scottoline   438 pages

You know how some people just rub you the wrong way?   That is how I feel about the main character in this book.   She is bossy, self-centered, attention seeking and bulldozes everyone she comes in contact with until she can't and when another character gives her back the same treatment she bestows on others, she backs up, she cries, she clamps down and won't tell them anything though she bullies others into giving her information constantly.   By mid book and all the way to the end I was hoping she would be the murderer's next victim.   The story was well-written as all of Lisa Scottoline's works are and the story line was a good one and I was caught up in it until the lead character began to grate on my nerves with her OCD attitude and behavior.   While the book lets the reader believe alls well that ends well, I still think her husband should have left her.   I can't recommend this book because I don't like people who treat others this way and I found it frustrating wishing for the book to end but was committed to the story.   The story itself really is a good one, though, despite the b*tch narrating it.   It is just hard to recommend a book I was gritting my teeth hoping something awful would happen to the main character.

 - Shirley J.

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris

 Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim by David Sedaris  257 pages

David Sedaris is one of my most favorite authors.   His take on life is the  stuff behind the closed door in your house with all that junk hiding that he throws open the door and tells everything about with such wit and truth.   He could make the telling of anything funny and does it with such joie de vivre.   He can find a funny way of sharing anything and often does so with his family as his topics, or his lover, or basically anyone and anything including being the butt of his own jokes in such a hilarious way, I hate to come to the end of his books.   He is fabulous!  No matter what he is talking about the story comes out in such a way that you will find yourself laughing out  loud.   Be it tales of his younger brother, Paul, who out of all the siblings turned out to be a redneck but may just have the most normal family life of them all.   From giving directions to a Norwegian group of seniors while at the same time trying to eradicate a mouse, to the fellow who while David was cleaning his house insisted on David letting him take his blood sugar to so many other stories.  David lifts up the rug to show all the stuff that has accumulated there then stops to discuss the stories attached to each,, all of which are worthy of a stand-up routine on Comedy Central.   Bravo, David Sedaris for another wonderful book.   Yes, I recommend this book to middle-schoolers on up.   Even the iffy parts are funny and not as bad as you might think.  Another best seller for David Sedaris.

 - Shirley J.

The Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd   352 pages

A most excellent book telling the stories of Lily Owens a 14 year old girl who has grown up in a home without the comfort of love.   Lily's parent, T. J. offers no love, only criticism and punishment.  Her mother died many years prior to the beginning of the story from a tragic accident.  You get to know Lily so well as she narrates the story.   It is set in South Carolina in 1964 and racial equality is at its beginning in town when black people are finally allowed to vote.  This causes big waves among the racists in town when Rosaleen, Lily's best friend and surrogate mother goes into town to register to vote.  All hell breaks loose with Rosaleen being hospitalized waiting for sentencing to jail and T. J. being called to take Lily home.   Lily musters her courage, sneaks away from home and convinces Rosaleen, though Rosaleen  is hurt bad to get out of bed and go on the lam with her.   There are incidents with bees in the walls of Lily's room and flying out around her room from time to time that seem a signal, sign or message from her dead mother.and that along with the few items Lily found stashed that had belonged to her mother, a photo of her mother, a wooden block of a black madonna with Tiburnum on the back and a pair of gloves that she hides then buries in the yard so T. J. won't know she has them all are leading Lily to where she is meant to be.   Luck is with Lily and Rosaleen during their getaway and they end up on the doorstep of 3 amazing bee keeping sisters.  The story really blazes from here on.   A wonderful tale of redemption and love, acceptance of both what is and what was, good, bad, painful, learning to live with regrets and how to forgive oneself and others and how regardless to keep going on.    A beautiful story.  I recommend this book from middle-schoolers to octogenarians.    

 - Shirley J.

Bone Rattler

Bone Rattler 

Bone Rattler by Eliot Pattison, 456 pages

I was interested in this series and wanted to start with the first title. There are 6 books currently in this series, known as the Duncan McCallum series. I found this book a bit too dense for my current attention span, but I really don't think it was the author's fault. I think I just couldn't focus on the mystery as Duncan McCallum worked to solve it.

The events take place on a convict ship to the New World and upon arriving in the New World. Duncan McCallum is being shipped from Scotland to the New World against his will. He is forced into solving a series of murders on the ship and on land and is desperately trying to find the actual culprit; not just pin the murders on any available Scot as his captors suggest.

There were parts of this story I enjoyed quite a bit: descriptions of the French and Indian War, along with McCallum's evolving attitude towards Indians, from abject terror as he considers them all violent at the beginning to slowly coming to respect them as individuals and not savages. A few of the earth-shattering revelations with characters and events I anticipated - I'm not sure if the reader was meant to catch on to these so quickly or if I was a good guesser (I'm usually not so I'm assuming it's the former). And because my focus just wasn't there for this book, I had a difficult time following the thread of the mystery as McCallum spoke to a multitude of characters and made quick conclusions from just one line of dialogue. I'm purposefully choosing a lighter book to follow this one, as I think that's about all I can handle at the moment. I won't write off this entire series and will give the second book, "Eye of the Raven" a chance in the future.

Warrior of the Altaii

 Warrior of the Altaii by Robert Jordan, 352 pages      

This is Robert Jordan's first novel that was  unpublished until now. The Altaii keep herds and raid. However, the watering holes on the Plains they roam are drying up. The warrior, Wulfgar, discovers that the Altaii could be destroyed if they don't change. 

They must take on the walled city of Lanta who has allied itself with the Morassa people (who also keep herds and raid).  

Near the end, you find out that there is a lot more to this world than meets the eye. It is intriguing but a tease that doesn't get explored further.

It is pretty good for a first novel. You can see glimpses of Jordan's Wheel of Time series in this book. The dynamic between women and men and a past that was better among other things.

I enjoy it a lot and wish it had been the beginning of a series. I would recommend it to fans of Robert Jordan and people who like fantasy. 

The Chanel Sisters

The Chanel Sisters by Judithe Little    352 pages

I have to admit that I’ve never given any thought to whether or not fashion icon Coco Chanel had siblings.  It’s just not something I think about when it comes to icons and celebrities.  However, turns out that she had four---two sisters and two brothers. In birth order, they are Julia-Berthe, then Gabrielle (who became Coco), Alphonse, Antoinette and Lucien.  This story is narrated by Antoinette, about whom history knows little,

Their mother died from bronchitis, abandoned by their father and not wanted by any other family member, the girls were sent to a convent/orphanage.  When we first see them in 1897, they are practicing their sewing. In 1898, the girls had been at the convent for three years. It is then that they receive a visit from their grandmother and learn that they have an aunt, Adrienne, who is close to their ages.

After she leaves the convent when she becomes of age, Gabrielle is hired in specialty shop where lace and other fashionable trimmings are sold to the wealthy women.

Adrienne takes them under her wing and begins to guide them through Parisian society---from the bottom to the top. Silly behavior ensues, with the girls interest boys escalating. On Sundays, Gabrielle takes a job at a tailor’s shop in order to meet officers and other wealthy men. It becomes clear that this book is more about finding a man to appease their need for a father figure rather than the girls rise to fashionable society. 

Readers even learn how Gabrielle received her nickname, Coco. Coco wants to sing and dance, but she hasn’t much talent.  It’s when she decides to start creating hats that the world of fashion calls.  With her sister, Antoinette, they start making hats for the rich and famous that they once envied.

The book fictionally documents Coco’s rise to fame as a hat designer, her love life, her marriage to Boy Chapel, her move into clothing and ends as Antoinette wants to bring the Chanel brand to the United States.

“The Chanel Sisters” was a good read. On occasion it dragged. I enjoyed the second half much more than the first.  “The Chanel Sisters” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Blossom and the Firefly

The Blossom and the Firefly by Sherri L. Smith    320 pages

 This blurb from the dust jacket is what drew me to this novel: “Japan 1945. Taro is a talented violinist and a kamikaze pilot in the days before his first and only mission. He believes he is ready to die for his country . . . until he meets Hana. Hana hasn't been the same since the day she was buried alive in a collapsed trench during a bomb raid. She wonders if it would have been better to have died that day . . . until she meets Taro.”

Hana is 15 years old; Taro is 17. The war is starting to wind down with Japan not on the winning side.

Hana is one of the local school girls who work at the airbase. Their job is to support and companionship to the latest batch of kamikaze pilots.  The girls cook, wash and mend their clothes, talk with them, and when it’s time to takeoff, the wave goodbye with cherry blossoms.

Hana has watched her heart; she has never even learned any of their names…that is until Taro arrives from training.

Both are musicians, Hana plays the koto while Taro plays the violin.  They are instantly drawn to each, which makes both of their jobs very difficult.

 I haven’t read any novels before that were from the perspective of Japanese young adults.  For me, the plot dragged and there was little tension. Every time I ran across a Japanese word, I was pulled out of the story.  Much to my chagrin, when I finished the book, I found a glossary in the back.  If I had known it was there, my feelings might be different. Alas, “The Blossom and the Firefly” receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Dowerless Sisters

The Dowerless Sisters 

The Dowerless Sisters by Valerie Anand, 529 pages

This was the final book in "The Bridges Over Time" a 6 book series set in England. The series begins during the time of William the Conqueror and follows members of the family throughout the ages as their fortunes rise and fall. Most of the characters in the series are women, so it's very interesting to see how they experience the times, from field work as "villeins" to surviving the plague, to flourishing (or not) in arranged marriages.

The characters in this final installment are born in the late 1800s and the story ends in the 1960s, a time period I've always loved. Charlotte and Vicky find their fortunes change with the death of their father, who mismanaged their finances. Their mother can't bear to see them accept the help of their conventional uncle, who believes women shouldn't be educated or make decisions of their own. Charlotte and Vicky agree with their mother and do their best to make their way in the world without any financial help from their uncle. They are fortunate to have the mentorship of another relative, who teaches them his trade in the textiles industry. Although Charlotte and Vicky never marry (an unforgiveable offense in the eyes of their uncle and other male relatives), they find fulfillment in their work and extended family.

I loved the history contained in this entire series and this book had a great ending, with a satisfying conclusion tying together attributes and events from the previous books. Valerie Anand writes a mystery series set during Elizabeth I's reign using the pen name Fiona Buckley.

-Kathy CB

The Black Swan of Paris

 The Black Swan of Paris by Karin Robards   480 pages

Fans of  Kate Quinn’s “The Alice Network” and Pam Jenoff’s “The Lost Girls of Paris” will love Karen Robards’ latest novel, “The Black Swan of Paris.”

Paris 1944.  The French Resistance is in crisis. One of its leaders, Baron Paul de Rocheford is dead following an air raid and his wife, Lillian, has been captured and sent to Germany. The Nazis are certain that Lillian knows the exact time and date of the upcoming Allied Invasion and will stop at nothing to get the information out of her.

British officer Max Ryan has been given the assignment to rescue Lillian…or kill her if a rescue cannot be carried out. No matter what, Lillian cannot give the information to the Nazis or the world is doomed.

 Max is working undercover as the show business manager of Genevieve Dumont, the singing toast of Europe, known for long black hair.  The Nazis adore Genevieve. But what no one, not even Max, knows who Genevieve’s people are as she has been estranged from them for a dozen years. Genevieve is the daughter of Paul and Lillian de Rocheford, and she may not have had contact with them, she cannot allow the Nazis to have their way with her mother.

Genevieve reaches out to the Resistance, and she joins their efforts without Max’s knowledge. The Resistance puts Genevieve in contact with her sister, Emmy, and the two plot on how to free their mother.

The first half of the novel didn’t flow as fast as I had wanted it to, but something told me to keep reading.  And I’m glad I did!  The second half ripped and roared to a stunning conclusion. Therefore,  “The Black Swan of Paris” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King   512 pages

I loved this book!  Stephen King at his finest.   Many short stories about horrifying monsters, people in love,  families competing to the point of destruction, this Stephen King compilation has it all.   And the utter joy in every word is worth millions in my estimation.   The last couple of King books I read left me feeling like he had lost his joy in writing and was only doing it for the money but this jewel restores my faith that he is in love with the written word and exudes that love to the reader in every story.   Treat yourself and read this one - it is so worth your time and if you are a Stephen King fan already you will adore it as much as I did.   If you are new to King's writing and process feel free to begin here you will become a life long member of the Stephen King fan club.  My very favorite story is the last one!   You will laugh, you will gasp and you will be glad you did.   Stephen King's dialogue is as great as his visions of horrors that keep us from sleeping at night. BRAVO!!!!

 - Shirley J.

The Secret Garden

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett     288 pages

I so enjoyed this book.   I knew the story to some degree but this read really took me there inside that mystical place with Mary, Dicken, Colin and the menagerie of critters Dicken charmed.   Really fun read of the Yorkshire accent, too.    I never realized how truly delightful and almost Gaelic it had seemed way back when.   That just endeared the book to me more.   How beautiful and strong things can grow from slim beginnings.   An endearing story for any age and worth the read even if you have already read it once or twice.   A gem.   Just goes to show how the unlikeliest of people and the most diverse of circumstance can lead to personal and spiritual healing and lend strange combinations to become the best of friends and adventures.   Highly Highly and more Highly recommended a spot of joy in a COVID world.

 - Shirley J.

The Road Home

The Road Home by Richard Paul Evans   336 pages

Wow!  I didn't realize when I began this book that it was part of a trilogy and more than that this was the third book in the trilogy.   I found this book could stand on its own easily.   The characters refer to so many things from the past that it seems as though the story catches you up to present with no feeling of loss for what you have missed and the story is so good and the wisdom this character shares throughout that he learns along the way is incredible.   I honestly thought this was a true story or at least based on a true story - it is that realistic in its tone and quotes from the guy's road diary.   What a great book and storyline.   Now that I know the end and enjoyed all that took place to get there just from this juncture, I kind of want to read the beginning just because it is there, but, this part of the journey is so priceless and who he starts out as is a big jerk and now he is filled with so much savvy and understanding whereas he has learned many valuable lessons and shared many valuable things, I don't really feel the need to go back.   It feels like meeting a friend when they are in their 30s maybe 40s and you think, "Man, I wish I would have known you in your 20s," but they recount such great stories about their life, you feel connected to that time in their life just through their telling of what happened.   It also kind of has the feel of that t.v. show where a billionaire or a CEO of a company goes undercover and meets regular people/first line employees and finds out what all they go through and how their understanding may be very different from the corporate Mount Olympus.  And most importantly seeing people dealing with their own lives and multi-stresses and also seeing how as CEO or billionaire you could do wondrous things to improve your fellow human being's life and circumstances.    Great book.   The entries is the main characters diary are pearls of wisdom to be committed to memory.   Excellent for read for Middle-schoolers on up.   A good life manual, before and after, how a rough beginning can prove a diamond in the rough.

 - Shirley J. 

The Queen's Secret: A Novel of England's World War II Queen

The Queen's Secret: A Novel of England's World War II Queen by Karen Harper     384 pages

An exquisitely excellent book.  OMgosh!   You will feel as though you are going through the air raids right along with them.   The juicy secrets that will be told will make your jaw drop, it did mine.  The writing will carry you back to the 1930s and 40s and give you insight into so many venues - political, social and social politics.    You will feel as though you can hear the planes overhead you will be that captivated by this story it is riveting and you will not be able to put this one down.   I had to make myself stop reading and sleep but you won't want to.   This book is a delicious blend of the lives of the Royals, Winston Churchill, FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt, Hitler's Blitzkrieg and the Allies retaliation along with some very human emotions and frailties and some of the boldest happenings and yes, slap your face because you won't see it coming secrets that will have you telling everyone you know about this book.  Highly recommended.   A good showing of no matter how high one may seem to be in life there is always a skeleton or several in every closet.  Teens to adults,  I keep forgetting that tweens are the new 20s so maybe mature Middle Schoolers, too, though, I would hope that youngsters would keep the secrets with the decorum they call for.   Great book.

 - Shirley J.